Random Musings – Shadow Warrior Chronicles and HanTsuki Drama

  • So the news of the day is that Utawarerumono got licensed by ADV, and that its English release name will be “Shadow Warrior Chronicles,” at least according to what ANN is reporting from Otakon. I usually don’t care at all about dubs or how things are done stateside, but this was just too hilarious and ridiculous a name to pass up.
    Having said that, the growing consensus seems to be that either ADV or ANN screwed up and that the English titles for Utawarerumono and the other ADV license Shin Angyo Onshi – supposedly re-titled “Blade of the Phantom Mask” – got mixed up. This would make a ton of sense, since Shin Angyo Onshi actually has “phantom soldiers” (aka. shadow warriors) and Utawarerumono actually features someone with a mask. “Blade of the Phantom Mask” still isn’t a fantastic title, but it’s not bad either. And it certainly doesn’t make me crack up like “Shadow Warrior Chronicles” does (at least in relation to Utawarerumono).
  • In other news, it seems that Hanbun no Tsuki ga Noboru Sora is getting a j-drama coming in October on TV Tokyo. Rika will be played by Ishida Miku. I certainly wasn’t expecting a drama for this at all, but it’ll be interesting to see how it matches up to the novels and the anime.
    Source: Yahoo News
  • Random Musings – Hana Yori Dango Part 2

    Very quick news item:

  • It was announced today that the Hana Yori Dango j-drama will be getting a second season (or as they call it, Part 2), set to air in January of 2007. This is good news for all you fans of the series or of Matsumoto Jun/Oguri Shun/whoever and couldn’t get enough of the show. I just hope that they don’t end it as cheesily as the first season did.
    Source: Yahoo News
  • Utawara Summer Special – Chibikko Erokawa Dance Championship

    This past Sunday, the popular music and variety show Utawara, hosted by Matsumoto Jun and Matsuura Aya, had a two hour summer special that featured Arashi, KAT-TUN, and Koda Kumi. What I’m writing about today is the segment that featured Koda Kumi: it was called the 「チビっ子エロかわダンス選手権」 (Chibikko Erokawa Dance Senshuken). Apparently, the show announced that they were holding such a competition and they got 1,419 applications. They eventually narrowed the field down to nine teams and those teams are the ones who performed in this roughly half-hour segment. Basically, each group does a dance to a Koda Kumi song, and they get judged by Wada Akiko, Tomochika Tsuyako, and Machamacha.
    Warning: Proceed at your own risk. This post includes links to videos that I would probably label “Not Safe For Work.” In showing those to my friends, the responses I got were “OMG,” “Vade retro, satanas!” and “I have a feeling any chance I had to go to heaven just went down the crapper.”